Summer 2019
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“The Chicken Ranch Casino is my number one sponsor, and they have been very supportive. Village Supply is another one that really helped me this year. They are a hardware supplier and are helping me make my dream come true,” said Pierson. He’s also partnered with Dobyns Rods, River2Sea, Lowrance and Fisherman’s Warehouse.
“Fisherman’s is great because they carry everything, I’m going to need this year on the Elites,” added the California pro.
Randy Pierson just witnessed a dream come true by qualifying for and fishing in the Bassmaster Classic, but luckily it hasn’t come to an end just yet. With two Elite Series events under his belt, he’s made the cut on Lanier and cashed checks in both of the events. He’s looking forward to the rest of the season in what he hopes is the first of many in his professional bass fishing career.
A REMINDER HOW HE GOT THERE
The B.A.S.S. Nation is one of the most challenging and time-consuming ways to make the Bassmaster Classic, and that is precisely the route Pierson took to get to this year’s event.
This road to the Classic doesn’t allow for missteps. Anglers must first qualify for the State Team then move to the Regionals and fish well enough to be the best in the state. From there, it is on to Nationals, and there they must beat the rest of the anglers in their group.
“Making the State Team is the easiest part, and it is not even easy to do that. I was fortunate to win on Oroville in 2017 and qualify for the B.A.S.S. Nation Western Regional held on Clear Lake. I finished first among California anglers (3rd overall) to move on to the B.A.S.S. Nation Championship on Pickwick Lake, Ala. and I was able to win it all in November 2018 to qualify for the Classic and the Elite Series,” recalled Pierson.
“November 10th was the day that changed my life forever and allowed me to reach my dreams of fishing the Classic and become a professional angler,” he said.
Along with entries in the Classic and Elites, he also won a boat, use of a Phoenix boat for a year, a $16,000 credit towards the Elite Series, and free entries into the Bassmaster Opens division of his choice. He jumped at the chance leap and he is now a professional angler on the Bassmaster Elite Series. •
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